Set Me Free

Chapter 10. Anti-damsel

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*Enters scene loudly*

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Kirishima felt so heavy; a battle presented itself by simply prying her eyes open. What happened? A fog seemed to shroud her mind as she searched for answers. The village, Bakugou, and dogs? That last part made her frown. That's right, dogs and men. With this realization, Kirishima forced herself onto her knees before falling flat on her face when her legs didn't move with her.

"Huh, so that's what I could smell." Great."

Chains.

An unwelcome but sadly familiar sight. She should have known—how long had she spent in their company, and yet she was unable to recognize the scent?For a moment, Kirishima wondered if she had gotten spoiled since she was free. No, that wasn't it; the time she had spent in the outside world felt as if it had washed away a lifetime of pain, and forgetting such a sorrow was nothing but a blessing—usually, that is.

She had a sense of freedom as if she were a child once more, but as quickly as she found it again, it was stolen away once more. Was this her fate—a life of chains and having everything ripped from her? Even in the worst of situations, her mind wandered to her newfound companion.

Did he even know she was missing, and if he did, would he care? She knew she shouldn't have these thoughts and that she should have more faith in the one she had chosen to follow, but with recent events, she wasn't so sure if he wanted her around anymore. Kirishima regretted having left things as they were and wondered once again what she could have done differently.

The redhead paused. What was she doing sitting here feeling sorry for herself? Pathetic. If the blonde man were here, surely he would be angry at her for acting so helpless. No matter the situation, she vowed to be stronger. How was this unbreakable?

It had happened fast and had greatly taken her off guard, but that was no excuse. She was done with being held down by the greed of others, chosen her own path, and she refused to let another take that away. Kirishima knew she couldn't break through these chains with her human strength, but she would soon see how they fared against a dragon.

"Let's see who breaks first!" With a less than subtle cry, the redhead strained to get her blood pumping through her veins in place of the slow burn. She felt the heat, a familiar burn that she was used to smoldering in the pit of her belly.

She needed more.

With a hoarse yell, she felt her body begin to bend and ripple as her muscles contracted and flexed under her skin. Kirishima braced herself as an unfamiliar pain spread through her body—this wasn't right. She knew that something was off, but she knew if she stopped now then she may not get another chance.

She couldn't tell if the screams were hers or if they belonged to the meatheads bashing on the bars of her confinement, and she didn't care. Louder and louder, all she could hear was ringing. What felt like an eternity later, her transformation was complete, and with her head spinning and ears ringing incessantly, the crimson dragon began to riot. Pure instinct drove her forward as she began to thrash and flail, charging the bars again and again.

Again.

...

Again.

...

Again.

Was the ringing all in her head, or were the bars reverberating from the brutal punishment they were receiving? Who cares. They were bending. Kirishima felt the sharp metal of the spears before she saw them, and her ears finally distinguished their panicked yells, but she kept going. The chains were a thing of the past; they littered spear tips on the ground around her feet, spurring her on, and then the iron bars shattered.